Despite a unanimous vote in favor of the project from the committee responsible for the maintenance of Teddy Ebersol Red Sox Fields, the fate of a proposed steel fence that would surround the youth baseball and soccer fields on the Charles River Esplanade is now uncertain, pending requests for a public review process.
In early April, the Friends of Teddy Ebersol Red Sox Fields, consisting of nominated representatives from three local non-profits, Hill House, the Esplanade Association and the Red Sox Foundation, recommended that state’s Department of Recreation and Conservation (DCR) build a 6-foot ornamental fence to replace a temporary chain-link fence that now encloses the athletic fields. Dedicated on June 10, 2006, the Teddy Ebersol Red Sox Fields honor the memory of Edward “Teddy” Ebersol, the 14-year-old son of broadcasting giant Dick Ebersol who was tragically killed in a 2004 plane crash in Montrose County, Colo. The Friends group contributed nearly $2 million to the construction of the fields and continues to spend $100,000 each year on their maintenance.
DCR recently announced it has allocated funding for the approximately $190,000 cost of building the fence from the $4 million budget for repairs to Storrow Drive, according to DCR spokesperson Wendy Fox. “The main purpose of the fence is to protect kids from traffic on Storrow Drive, as well as from the bicyclists and pedestrians on the Esplanade path, and to protect bicyclists and pedestrians from ballplayers chasing fly balls,” she said.
Soon after the Friends’ group voted in favor of the fence, the Esplanade Association board of directors decided against the proposal. Jeryl Oristaglio, president of the Esplanade Association, maintains that although the organization’s representative to the Friends group had voted in favor of the fence, he cast his ballot on his own behalf and hadn’t consulted with the Esplanade Association board before that time.
“The Esplanade Association believes that there should be a public meeting about the fence proposal and to review other options to achieve the objectives of all of the interested parties and the general public's interests,” Oristaglio said. “The Esplanade Association is not supporting the Friends’ fence proposal because our research indicates there are other field management strategies that are being used by other historic parks that we believe should be reviewed by the DCR and the Friends and implemented on the Esplanade.”
On April 17, the fence plan met with further resistance when Secretary of State William Galvin, who chairs the Massachusetts Historical Commission, overruled the commission’s staff decision in favor of the fence, even though it found that the fence would have no “adverse effects” on the Esplanade.
“The question that hasn’t been satisfactorily addressed in some people’s minds is the public access issue,” Galvin said. “We want to give people adequate time to be heard.” (The Boston Conservation Commission has still yet to weigh in on the matter).
State Rep. Marty Walz, who first alerted Galvin to the Historical Commission’s decision, also believes the public should be more involved in resolving the fence issue.
“I do not know if a fence is necessary, in large measure because insufficient information has been provided to my constituents and me,” Walz said. “Before a portion of the Esplanade is fenced off, we all need to know if a fence is necessary or if there are alternatives that would achieve DCR's goals.”
David Beardsley, executive director of Hill House, still believes the proposed fence would accomplish the goal of protecting children on the fields.
"Hill House wants a permanent fence installed to protect children who use the athletic fields,” Beardsley said. “On busy weekends, we have hundreds of children on the fields, and the proximity to the busy bike path and river pose real child-safety risks that must be addressed. DCR's proposed fence would help to limit those child-safety risks. Playgrounds along The Esplanade are fenced, presumably for safety reasons. The same need for safety applies to these athletic fields"
Meanwhile, Meg Vaillancourt, executive director of the Red Sox Foundation, said a fence is also essential to preserving the once-unusable athletic fields that the Friends group has worked to revitalize over the past five years.
“These fields are well used and well loved. They are also well cared for, thanks to the small but very dedicated DCR staff and help from generous supporters who donated funds to supplement the state’s limited maintenance budget,” Vaillancourt said. “We hope that with appropriate concern for public safety and operations, everyone will be able to enjoy them for a long time to come.”
The public will have an opportunity to review and comment on the fence proposal at a meeting regarding the rehabilitation of Storrow Drive later this month, DCR spokesperson Fox said.

City Council President Mike Ross said a call he received from a Back Bay restaurateur following a warm March day was what prompted him to request a public hearing of the council’s Committee on Government Operation last week that examined the possibility of extending the season for sidewalk cafés located on public sidewalks.
“When done right, these outdoor cafés are some of the greatest selling points this city has,” said Ross, who co- sponsored the meeting with District 2 City Councilor Bill Linehan. “The economy is down, it’s the perfect time for [restaurants] to open patios and outdoor cafés.”
According to city officials, sidewalk café licenses for patios located on public sidewalks were first issued in January of 1999, at which time the season ran from May 1 through Oct. 31. Approximately five years ago, the city officially extended the season from April 1 to Oct. 31. (The same restrictions do not apply for outdoor dining areas located entirely on private property, like Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square, officials said).
Daniel Pokaski, chairman of the city’s Licensing Board, said outdoor dining posed few problems. “Of all the areas we deal with, sidewalk cafés get the least amount of complaints,” he said.
Dennis Royer, the city’s Chief of Public Works and Transportation, said while he was also supportive of sidewalk cafés, he believes extending the outdoor dining season into the winter could actually end up burdening restaurateurs, who would have to regularly remove patio fixtures to allow for snow and ice removal.
“If we have a snowstorm, they’re going to have to remove whatever they’ve put out there to provide access to the public right of way,” Royer said. “Given the potential for liability, I’m not sure that the businesses themselves would want to be there during this timeframe.”
Royer added that the city gives up public space every time it approves an outdoor patio on a sidewalk.
Tom Brennan, vice president of the Newbury Street League, a non-profit organization that represents the interests of businesses on the street, pointed out that Scoozi pizzeria had to cut its wait and kitchen staff in half once the outdoor patio closed for the season. “It hurts businesses,” he said.
Besides creating more jobs, Meg Mainzer-Cohen, executive director of the Back Bay Association, an advocacy group for neighborhood businesses, believes extending the season for outdoor dinning would make the city a more appealing place on unseasonably warm days.
“In a city like Boston that is so dependent on weather, when there is a nice day, people want to be outside,” Meg Mainzer-Cohen said. “I think the extension would be good for businesses and the overall ambience of the city.”

The Boston Water & Sewer Commission (BWSC) is undertaking a rehabilitation project in the Back Bay and Beacon Hill in which it will install fabric liners to help support the structures of existing sewage lines and storm drains.
According to Irene McSweeny, director of construction for the BWSC, the objectives of the project include eliminating ground water infiltration into the sewer lines and storm drains, preventing contamination of surrounding soils, reinforcing the structure of damaged pipes and reducing future construction costs. Excavation will generally not be required for the project, which is expected to have a minimal impact on traffic in the work areas.
Project limits in the Back Bay and Beacon Hill are Beacon Street between Brimmer and Charles streets, Charles Street between Revere and Chestnut streets, Chestnut Street between Brimmer and Charles streets, Mt. Vernon Street between Mugar Way and Brimmer Street, Dartmouth Street between Public Alleys No. 419 and No. 439, Exeter Street between Boylston and Blagden streets, Trinity Place between St. James Avenue and Stuart Street, Berkeley Street between Stuart and Stanhope streets, Stuart Street between Arlington and Stanhope streets, Church Street between Winchester and Melrose streets, Draper’s Lane between Ivanhoe and Upton streets, Park Plaza between Arlington Street and Hadassah Way and Upton Street between Shawmut Avenue and Drapers Lane.
“We’re only rehabilitating sections that really need to be done,” McEwen said.
The project is already underway in Beacon Hill and is should be completed by the end of August, with exception of Dartmouth Street, where steam was found in the pipes, according to McSweeney. (As a result, no timeframe has given for work on Dartmouth Street). Each individual job is expected to take approximately one day to complete, and the liners have an estimated lifespan of 75 years. The entire cost of the project, which also includes work in the South End, is approximately $2 million.
McSweeney said television cameras would be inserted in the sewer lines and storm drains prior to the installation of the liners to confirm the sewer size, check for root intrusion and locate protruding laterals from individual homes and buildings. After the liners are installed, the cameras will again be inserted in the lines and drains to confirm that service is active.
Residents will receive notices from BWSC several days before work begins in their neighborhoods and can visit the BWSC Web site at www.bwsc.org for weekly updates on construction.